One Wild Ride
by twilightstargazer
Summary: Breaking News: Lily Evans and James Potter are not so secretly snogging. The internet is losing its shit.
1. Chapter 1

_**I'm not sure if this is a serious fic or a crackfic. Probably both.**_

 _ **Hey guys! Look who started another AU/ fic. Let's hope it doesn't take me ages to update this one either. It's got about five chapters total, or at least that's how much I came up with when I hurriedly wrote down my plot while dozing off, so it's subject to change (but let's just go with five for now okay.) Special thanks to Rhiannon for reading this through while receiving my ridiculous snaps about it. She's a dear. Also, I'm trying my hand at a new style of writing- sort of like an article/ journalism vibe- so I hope it's not too bad.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 ** _Breaking News: Lily Evans and James Potter are not so secretly snogging. The internet is losing its shit._**

Welcome ladies, gentlemen, and non-binary folk to what is the first of a five part exposé on the two biggest names in all of music right now: The Marauders and Lily Evans. One is boy band group that's achieved One Direction like fame in the past few years, and the other is an immensely talented singer/songwriter who's poised to take over the world one day. But now, on the eve of their respective world tours (the Marauders kick it off in Paris in one week, while Evans starts off in New York a few days later), we here at _TIME_ feel it's time to remind you all just how it all started and where they came from. From the nitty gritty beginnings- the broken friendships, nasty rumours and tears of all kinds- to the happy endings, I'm here to dig in deep. So buckle up kids, this is going to be one wild ride.

But first I guess I have to rewind a little to say, oh, about almost eight years ago.

When I first meet Lily Evans, it's at her own flat smack dab in the middle of London. She greets me at the front of the building wearing a pair of ripped jeans and an oversized flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up over a threadbare tank that reads 'PUNK IS DEAD.' Her trademark red hair is pulled up in a messy bun and, while her face is devoid of make-up, she still manages to look like a model. As soon as she spots me, a brilliant megawatt smile threatens to split open her face and it throws me for a loop for a second. Despite the sunny smile, she gives off a vibe that says she wouldn't hesitate to start fight or cut my throat (though, let's be real here, I'd probably thank her if she ever deigned me worthy enough to punch.) She has the most perfect eyebrows that I've ever seen in my entire life and is barely five feet, coming up to my nose. To say that I am slightly intimidated by her would be the understatement of the year.

We exchange pleasantries and she leads me up to her home, though not before apologising for having me meet her at her flat. 'It's my last day off for a long time,' she admits, 'I wasn't really up for doing anything today other than curling up in bed with Perseus and binge watching Netflix.'

Perseus I learn is Evans' incredibly angry, orange cat who glares at me from his perch as soon as I walk in behind his owner. I make sure to stay far away from him just in case the claws come out. Like his owner, he looks more than capable of cutting a bitch if needed. Her flat is astonishingly normal, looking like it could belong to any other twenty five year old and not a world famous superstar. Suddenly I begin to feel out of place in my sharp pantsuit and sensible shoes while sitting here in a sinfully comfortable armchair and having the Avengers stare at me from a poster stuck to the door. She puts the kettle on and brings out a box of chocolate biscuits and some ice cream. I think I've fallen a little bit more in love with her. Quick to hide my heart eyes, I pull out my notepad from my bag and begin the interview.

At seventeen years old, nobody really knew who Lily Evans was. She was merely an everyday teenager still in secondary school who made YouTube videos with her friends and wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to do with her life after she graduated in the next few months. She drove her daddy's rusty old Ford pickup truck ('Never once got a scratch on the thing,' she tells me proudly, 'I'm a fucking good driver.'), sometimes snuck out to go chainsmoke at the abandoned park 'round the corner and had a slight obsession with shoes.

Lily Evans was a relatively normal girl living a relatively normal life and loved to sing.

She had an affinity for it from a very young age, singing whatever came to mind to her heart's content. When she was fourteen, she finally developed the courage to make her own YouTube channel and posted her very first video of her singing 'Everytime,' by Britney Spears, one of the hottest hits of summer 2004. The video is still there on her channel for 'sentimental reasons,' filmed with a crappy webcam and showing a small redhead with an abundance of curls and braces.

Despite the eyebrow raising appearance, one could tell that 14 year old Evans had a voice on her, and a damn good one at that.

Over the course of the next three years she kept on singing and making videos, though instead of crappy webcams, she and good friend Severus Snape managed to scrounge up the money to buy a semi good camera that produced videos where you could actually see her nose. 'It took us almost four months of savings to buy that damn camera,' she reminisced with a pained smile, but more on that later. The redhead would sit on her bed or be out in the gardens, sometimes with her guitar, though more often than not, and croon her heart out while Snape directed her from behind the lens, their relationship in a nutshell. An attempt at editing would take place and then it would be posted for the world to see. By the beginning of 2008 right before she turned eighteen, she had just over three thousand subscribers on her channel and all her videos had generated a cumulative total of 9.1 million views, a veritable feat.

By then, Evans was in her last year of secondary school and preparing to write exams and face the horrors of adulthood. And then she got a message from the one and only Horace Slughorn of House of Obvious Great Works of Art and Recording Talents Studios (or HOGWARTS for those of us who like to breathe when talking). The last two videos which Evans posted were her renditions of 'Piece of Me,' by Britney Spears (our Evans seems to be a fan of BritBrit) and 'Chasing Pavements,' by then breakout star Adele in December and end of January respectively.

'It was surreal,' Evans tells me, 'I was just posting songs that were stuck in my head on YouTube and next thing I know, the Horace Slughorn has messaged me with a request of a meeting.' She confesses that she didn't tell her parents anything about it at first though.

'My parents wanted me to go off to uni and, I dunno, become a doctor or lawyer or something, so meeting one of the heads of a recording label was the farthest thing from that to do. I went to it of course. It was two weeks after I turned eighteen, so legally I was allowed to do what I wished,' she grinned. Something tells me she would have done well had she been a lawyer.

The meeting, as you all should know by now had you not be living under a rock for the past seven years, was an attempt to sign Evans to SlugClub Industries, one of the many subunits that HOGWARTS attained over the years. (Despite the many attempts of PROs over the years to explain that, no the name does not have any relations to the common terrestrial gastropod mollusc you have eating your Hydrangeas but is in fact, 'leaps and bounds made in the world of music using artistic license to the fullest.' However many a person- myself included- still snicker at the wording.) Normally these types of things take hours upon hours or even days in some cases, but Evans was in and out of there before the milkshake she made him buy her was even melted.

A woman after my own heart.

During that fifteen minute meeting, Evans countered his offer with her own preposition: Ask me again in four months.

'I wanted to at least attempt my A levels, no matter how terrible they were,' she explains, 'Plus since my mum would throw a fit if I left school for something I wasn't even sure I would make it in, I wanted to play it a bit safe, so I told Slughorn that if he was still willing to meet me after my exams, then I would properly consider.'

Of course, this is Lily Evans, we're talking about, and those months leading up to her final exams, she spent studying and slowly bringing her parents around to the idea of her making a living singing.

'I think by the time July rolled around my mum and dad thought that I would just be earning some extra money by singing in coffee shops or something,' confesses Evans with just the barest beginnings of a smirk. 'You can imagine the pandemonium that took place when I had them meet Slughorn and they realised that what they thought was correct- just on a much wider scale.' She pauses here for a moment to laugh. It's a lovely sounding expression of mirth from the redhead, and I could probably wax poetic about it for days, but I'll leave that for her groupies scattered through the internet. 'I'm just glad mum waited until Slughorn left and we were home alone before the yelling started.' There's a wince accompanying the statement and her eyes cloud over like a veteran reminiscing of the war. She may have survived it, but at what cost.

After a summer of persuasion, extra chores, and some begging, Evans' parents finally agreed (although grudgingly to that. She recalls her mother giving her a list of things she was and was not allowed to do. It was bound. She still has it in a drawer at her flat.) It was decided then; she would get into the music industry. And so, in the following eight years, not only did she get into the industry; Evans became a household name across the globe.

* * *

The Marauders meet me at The Three Broomsticks down in Soho for lunch after doing a photo shoot for this exclusive _(photos can be seen on pages 12 & 13)_. They still seem to be in photo shoot mode as I enter the private room. Black is lounging in one of the hand carved wooden chairs with a sort of casual elegance that makes me want to cry. His dark hair is artfully mussed, looking like he just stepped off his bike which, to be honest, he might've done, and he makes the hilariously simple white t shirt and black skinny jeans look like it was pulled from the next issue of _Vogue_. He's playing Candy Crush on his phone while looking vaguely disinterested in the rest of the world. Looking back on it, I think Sirius Black's entire existence makes me want to cry because how do you fit so much perfect in one individual?

Next to him is his brother in all but blood. Unlike Black, Potter seems physically impossible to stay still. If he's not jiggling his leg, he's messing up his hair or spinning a bottle cap between his fingers. He wears nearly the same thing as Black, except he has a red flannel shirt over his t shirt with the sleeves pushed up to expose part of his sleeve of tattoos. He doesn't wear it with the same kind of sophistication as Black, but then again who can? Potter's hair is also mussed, but whereas Black's is made to look so, Potter's simply _is_.

Across the table sits Lupin, book in hand clad in a dark purple jumper. He seems to be reading though ever so often I spot him throwing a little piece of paper at Potter's hair, smirking each time it stays. The other boy is none the wiser. He spots me looking and flashes me a quick wink while bring his finger to his mouth in a quick shushing motion.

Finally there is Pettigrew, sitting next to Lupin, trying to lounge in his chair like Black is but not getting it quite right. He's the most casually dressed of the four, wearing a 'The Walking Dead,' t shirt. His eyes are focused on the phone in front of him where he's playing temple run and his tongue is poking out from his mouth just a little. It's all slightly adorable.

Introductions are quickly made, drinks are ordered, and I sit down to begin my questions while trying to reel in four twenty five year old men who act like a litter of kittens exploring the world for the first time. It's quite a task and I'm very proud of myself for getting through it with only minimal exasperation. (It was fond exasperation though.)

At seventeen years old, The Marauders, had just signed with HOGWARTS under the tutelage of the great Minerva McGonagall, hall of fame rock legend (for us lackadaisical Millennials, she sung several hits in the 70s and became a national feminist icon. Your mothers may have had posters of her in their room like mine did. Not that they would ever admit it of course. But you know the truth; you found them in the attic at the end of sixth form) and were on the brink of stardom.

Front man and lead singer of the group, James Potter, and Sirius Black, drummer and resident 'bad boy' (his own words, graced upon me with a sardonic smirk from Mr Black himself) grew up together, leaving a trial of mischief and mayhem wherever they went. They're thick as thieves, almost conjoined at the hip with a co-dependency that's almost borderline disturbing. And wherever Potter and Black were, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, bassist and guitarist of the band respectively, were quick to follow. The four of them first came together at age eleven when they were all given detention- separately, save for Potter and Black, might I add- during the first week of school.

'I can't even remember what we did to get there,' Potter says, smirking before casting a glance at Black, who, as always stands at his side. The other man merely shrugs and flicks a loose strand of hair out of his eyes. 'It all starts to blend together after a while.'

'We got in a lot of trouble in school,' Black points out unhelpfully, with a smirk. He swings his arm around the other man and, side by side like this, the matching quirk of their lips is enough to make me feel just a bit sorry for the teachers that had to deal with them back in school. 'All four of us, though it was mainly me and this git getting the brunt of the punishment. Peter, the silver tongued bastard, could lie his way out of almost anything, and Remus- well, I mean it's Remus. Who's going to look at him and think he's the one responsible for blowing up a girls' toilet?' Black throws his head back and barks out a laugh. 'Little shit.' He says his entire spiel with the same devil may care smirk, voice taking on a lazy cadence which just a touch of fondness when he speaks about his mates.

He's not wrong of course. Remus Lupin, with his over sized jumpers, neatly combed sandy brown hair, and introverted nature wouldn't be anyone's first choice in carrying out elaborate pranks, but after having lunch with the band for the sake of these articles and seeing him casually add ketchup to Potter's Coke while the latter went to the bathroom, I'm just about ready to rethink that. Unlike Potter and Black, whose demeanours practically scream troublemaker or Pettigrew with his quick hands and even quicker tongue, he's a quiet sort of mastermind. The type that should be feared just a little because it's quite possible that he knows all your weaknesses.

It was during that fated detention that the boys all became friends, joined together by their love of music and mischief, and by the time they turned fifteen, they had it set in their minds that they wanted to start a band. So they did during the summer before their fourth and fifth years, toiling away at lyrics and instruments until they got better and better. Each of them has always been musically inclined so it didn't take quite that long for the music to start flowing. The first few songs were a little rough around the edges, but they kept on pushing and persevering until finally, almost a year later they performed a cover of The Beatles 'Twist and Shout' at a school fair under the name The Marauders.

Fast forward another year, and they were being signed to HOGWARTS, having written near eighty five original songs of their own within the past two years.

Of course, some were quick to hiss out nepotism (or at the very least, favouritism) from the dark confines of their basements. Potter and Black, practically grew up in the lap of Albus Dumbledore, CEO of HOGWARTS. Additionally Potter's parents also happened to be part of the funding missionaries that helped get the label of the ground in its early years and HOGWARTS happens to be one of the largest beneficiaries to donate to the couple's many charities.

(Including the most notable, _Home_ , a full length album produced by the record label to combat homelessness that featured several of its top talents putting their own spin on some of the biggest hits to ever be released in musical history. These talents included Evans as well as the Marauders, doing a single each before coming together to do the infamous (famous?) duet that sent fangirls across the world into a tizzy while '#jily' trended for a solid week.) (More in depth information on the _Home_ fiasco will be released in a later instalment of the Evans/ Marauders series.)

Most of those people were quick to hush their mouths when The Marauders' first single dropped just two months after signing. To this day, everyone knows all the lyrics to bubblegum pop 'Mischief Managed' (don't deny it; you know it's true). You know the lyrics, your mother knows the lyrics, babies know the lyrics and they don't even have object permanence. The song spent thirty nine weeks on the charts, three of which was at the coveted number one spot. Take that haters.

The band's debut album, 'No Good' was released seven months later, around the same time Evans signed into SlugClub. 'No Good' consisted of a total of 12 similarly bubblegum pop-esque songs that wound its way into the hearts of many 'tween' and pre-teen girls and managed to go gold almost a year later after its release. And so marks The Marauders' tip into stardom.

Having the album go gold right after Potter, the youngest of the group, turned nineteen seemed to open a Pandora's box. They were now adults in the world of rock n' roll. Cue the madness.

While being an all-round good set of boys, one must remember that The Marauders are first and foremost troublemakers, especially Black and Potter, though Lupin and Pettigrew aren't exactly backwards. Within that first year alone there were sex scandals, reports of drug use, and multiple speeding tickets which made it seem like the Marauders were going to crash and burn before they even made it for more than seven seconds of lime light. It took a stern talking to from McGonagall- tea was had, biscuits were offered, and tears were shed- for them to pull their heads out of their arses and realise that the world was laughing at them for getting kicked of clubs for being too smashed.

It was time for them to clean up their acts, and what better way to do it than with charity? The group officially partnered with The Potter Project, the collective name for the number of different charities spearheaded by Mama and Papa Potter themselves. Saturday nights were no longer spent at nightclubs and parties, but instead at children's hospitals, beach clean ups and homeless shelters where the boys donated their time and money.

' _Home_ was actually our idea,' Pettigrew says, and the other three of them pause whatever it is they were doing (Black has gone back to playing Candy Crush, Potter is making a castle out of chips, Lupin is sneakily stealing chips from his castle) and look up. They all flash a smirk at Potter who has gone red and mumbles 'Fuck off' when Black pokes his side.

With my interest piqued, I jump in, fully intent on grilling them all for any new information but they refuse to budge, choosing instead to remain mum on the matter. Disgruntled, I go back to my normal list of questions.

It took a while for them to clean back up, but there are still some who remember the dark days, such as Severus Snape, who like to bring it up at any possible opportunity.

Snape, as you may have remembered from before, was one of Evans' closest friends and perhaps one of the greatest supporters of the 'Down with The Marauders' movement. (It is an actual movement and I couldn't help but laugh when I found out about it. The petition only managed to scrounge up a total of eighty three signatures before time run out. The link was retweeted a number of times by former screamer/ now music critic, Tom Marvolo Riddle- stage name Voldemort/ the Dark Lord of the band, The Death Eaters- who has seemed to have taken Snape under his wing.)

The two grew up together in the same neighbourhood, but didn't become actual good friends until secondary school where they shared classes, did homework together and partnered for labs. And make music of course.

'Both of us were sort of awkward,' Evans says, hands folded neatly in her lap. Her knuckles are turning white. 'We didn't have any friends and we weren't exactly too good at making them. He was too busy reading to hold any real sorts of conversation, and I just couldn't talk to strangers without feeling my throat close up. So we did the next best thing and became friends. Close friends. I loved him like a brother but...' She trails off with a wince, one which I can completely empathise with, and stares off into space, expecting me to understand what she meant. I did of course. Everyone did.

Even as Evans signed with SlugClub Industries, she insisted on keeping Snape at her side. He was her best friend, her closest confidante, the one who was there for her ever since she started her journey into the world of music.

'I learnt to branch out eventually, but he was there from the beginning you know? I mean, I had my parents, but they always just thought of music as a hobby that I'd grow out of eventually and my sister, well. My music is a sore spot for both of us.' She sits ramrod straight in the plush armchair, face stoic and, for the first time since we began this interview, she's not looking me in the eye. Frankly that's more unnerving than having her stare at me unflinchingly from before. The atmosphere is suddenly tense. Perseus has jumped off his perch and is now sat by his mistress' feet glaring at me. Evans offers to get me more tea and I quietly accept, hoping that her cat doesn't try to kill me in the interim. When she comes back to the room with the kettle I decide to drop the subject.

It's no secret however that Evans doesn't have the best relationship with her hardly seen older sister, Petunia Evans. In an interview given early on in her career, Evans said, 'I'm almost twenty, didn't go to any sort of university, and managed to make nearly a million pounds on my own last year. Tuney has a bachelor's in business and she works as a waitress at some hole in the wall cafe. She thinks the situation is a bit unfair.' Other than that, Evans has remained relatively mum on the situation with her sister, choosing instead to glare frostily at anyone who dares broach the subject.

The Marauders are a lot more open when it comes to their family life than Evans. Potter is a family man through and through and so is Lupin, though he's much more subdued about it than his band mate, while Pettigrew worships his mother with all his heart. The only one unwilling to speak about family is Black who suddenly goes stiff when the question is posed to him.

The boys immediately jump into action at that and Potter frowns at me. 'Why don't you skip this one out? It's not like the world doesn't already know,' he says, not exactly unkindly, but also not with the warmth he had been using before. From their respective positions, Lupin and Pettigrew nod, also frowning at me. I feel like a small child who's disappointed her older brothers and hang my head in shame. For the first time since we've all sat down together for lunch it's painfully quiet.

Slowly I get the conversation back up and rolling (though not before slyly asking the waiter to bring over the dessert platter that I buy with my own money for their forgiveness) with a few more innocuous and light hearted questions.

Potter was right when he said the world already knows what went down with Black and his family, but, like with Evans, details are vague and hard to come by. One thing is for certain though: Black was disowned by his parents just after they made it big, a few days before Potter and Black's big arrest after breaking several traffic laws and displaying cheek to the police. (This was before the new and improved reformed Marauders, right before McGonagall sat down and had a little chat with them.)

The circumstances surrounding the disownment are hazy at best but numerous reports point to the fact that the esteemed Black family- the one filled with doctors and lawyers and engineers- deemed it unfit for one of their own to be performing in a boy band for a living. A dangerous game of chicken was played between the two parties: drop out or we kick you out while Black ignored them and continued doing his thing. The entire thing culminated into his subsequent disownment, leaving him without home or money until the Potters took him in.

Good people those Potters.

Due to their little 'rehab' time, The Marauders don't release anymore music until almost a year later. 'Solemnly Swear,' was released nearly 2 years after their first album with hits like 'Invisibility' and 'Chasers' making them the centre of attention once more.

With their growing number of hits also came with a growing fan base. Before dropping their second album, fans were mainly concentrated in England and its surrounding localities. The Marauders performed at several venues around the UK and even once or twice in other European countries. After the release of their second album, their fan base grew exponentially and less than six months later it was decided that they would tour Europe and, due to increase in demand from our friends 'across the pond', the US as well.

While the Marauders were preparing to go on tour, Evans was preparing to drop her much anticipated album. For the past two years she had been slowly releasing singles such as 'Pretty Petals,' 'Charming' and 'Green Light, Stop,' all of which did extremely well on the charts.

Despite working with the same studio, neither party ever crossed paths. When asked about what she thought of The Marauders right after they blew up for the second time, Evans merely shrugged and said diplomatically, 'They're good at what they do and people love them. It's not really my kind of music but I respect them.'

Since Evans had yet to achieve the same type of fame as The Marauders, the band was never asked what they thought of her when she finally began to gather traction. 'She's definitely a very capable singer and I'm sure we would have said the same thing had we heard about her back then,' says Lupin when asked, 'We didn't really know she existed until we met.'

Potter's cheeks are still stained red and he seems to be very interested in the tablecloth.

And oh what a first meeting that was. That's something I don't think anyone could ever forget, even though most of us aren't privy to even half of the details.

Until now that is.

That's right kiddos; yours truly has managed to squeeze out all the details of their first time just for you and it's definitely unexpected. The question that remains though, is this historic meeting going to live up to your expectations? Catch the next issue to find out!

 _-written by Marlene McKinnon of TIME magazine_

* * *

 ** _Let me know what you think in a review! And if you want to know what's going on with this fic, I have an entire tag dedicated to it on tumblr where I can be found under hiddenpolkadots._**

 ** _xoxo Nai_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hey hey hey look who updated in a timely fashion. Not quite as long as the first part and probably not even quite as good, but I hope you guys like it nonetheless. The response for this fic has been overwhelming so THANK YOU LL SO VERY MUCH. Eternal hugs and kisses.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

And we're back!

Welcome, folks, to the much anticipated second instalment of this exclusive tell all with everyone's two favourites, The Marauders and Lily Evans. Their world tours have officially kicked off, with The Marauders starting with a literal bang in Paris- fireworks were all the rage during the finale, but what really took the cake while sending fingers to Twitter was the five minute outage that occurred right after Black stepped off stage for a breather. Something exploded. Sparks happened to fly. I'm not saying the boys had anything to do with it, but the boys probably had something to do with it.

(My suspicions are later confirmed when this tweet is sent out after the show.)

[ **PotterJamesPotter** : It's been a blast Paris! Literally! #sorryabouttheamp #Siriuswillreplaceit]

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world for her largest world tour to date, Evans lit up New York with some impressive pyrotechnics, and even more impressive outfits: her signature ripped jeans, oversized flannels and impeccable shoe choices were all the rage, but what really caught our attention was that sparkly little number she chose for the final song- the ever lively 'Experimenting With Trouble' with an intense guitar solo at the bridge. The full set list can be found on Evans' official website as well as images from her various performances over the past few weeks.

(For a more behind the scenes glimpse, check out the star's Instagram; though it's about 75% Perseus getting into her costumes.)

But these aren't the things that you want to know (or don't already know if you have both artistes on all forms of social networks.) No, what I'm sure everyone wants to know, judging from the flurry of tweets our poor interns have had to deal with over the past month, is what really went down at that first meeting.

At twenty years old, Lily Evans is just getting ready to release her first studio album. She still has a shoe obsession and still drives the truck. She wears cute sundresses whenever the weather permits it, with wedges and a lace cardigan. She's _cute_. The only thing out of the ordinary in her 'good girl' persona was the small, anatomically correct watercolour heart on the inside of her forearm that is visible at all times, and the tiny cluster of butterflies behind her left shoulder. They do lead to some raised eyebrows, but since then, Evans hardly paid heed to her haters and thus never responded.

At that point, The Marauders were also twenty years old and already had two studio albums in addition to numerous chart toppers under their belts; more than most artistes accomplish in their life. And don't get me started on other twenty year olds. Sirius Black was delegated the role of 'boy band bad boy,' something he took to with great pomp and circumstance. He was the obvious choice for the role of course, what with the leather jackets, motorcycles, constant broodiness, and, of course, the tattoos. It didn't matter that both he and Potter had the _exact_ same geometric sleeve of tattoos, no, Black's tattoos made him _edgier, cooler, broodier_ (or at least according to the screaming teenage girls.) Twenty year old Black was the kind of person you'd expect to wake up to, lazily smoking a cig in jail, after being arrested for punching some guy in the face because he insulted a sports car. (Meanwhile you were probably in there for disturbing the peace after getting completely smashed and throwing up in the wrong guy's bushes. Sirius Black is a 100 on the coolness scale; you're lucky if you're even a 1.)

If Black was the one you'd fuck in a back alley (except not really, but more on that later), then Potter was the one you'd bring home to meet the parents if you wanted to impress them, horrify them, or a little bit of both. James Potter was both a sweetheart and a troublemaker- well, they're all troublemakers. In reality, he probably got up to the same amount of trouble as Black, having always been at his side, but there's just something about his battered red Converse, overabundance of flannel shirts, and goofy grin that makes it impossible to think of Potter as anything other than the resident cutie. A dork, if you must. The type of guy to get you flowers but also throw in a worm with them just to keep things interesting.

Twenty year old Remus Lupin was also a cutie, but it has been scientifically proven (do not question my science) that Remus Lupin across all ages is a cutie so my description is rendered void. His style of over sized jumpers, with _elbow pads_ , and leather satchels has remained constant over the years, and so has his need to do quiet wicked things to his friends and those around him. Like the rest of them, at this point he already had a tattoo- an astronomically correct diagram of our solar system because, as I was told, Remus Lupin is a total space nerd- that's only visible when he has his sleeves rolled up. Personally I think it's a rather good metaphor for Lupin: one had to look under the layers of a perfect, preppy, Oxford boy in sweater vests to see that he was a complete imp underneath. Nonetheless, Lupin deserves the title of boy band nerd.

Like Lupin, Pettigrew also hasn't changed much from when he was twenty- or, ever really. He's still the same chubby little boy who wears ironic t shirts and loves doughnuts. At twenty, he recently got a compass tattooed on the inside of his wrist, making him the last Marauder to get one. His tongue had been silver back then too, considering the fact that he'd been able to talk his way out of a DUI once.

Despite all of this- the accomplishments that their twenty year old selves managed to pull off, twenty is still the awkward age between terrified teenager and even more scared adult, and neither parties were able to escape it, especially if that first meeting was involved.

Which finally brings us to what everyone has been theorising and hypothesizing on Twitter ever since I let this slip:

What. Really. Happened. At that. Cafe.

?

When posed the question to the Marauders the first time around, I receive mumbles and vague hand gestures while Potter is the recipient of several smirks and pointed looks. I concede gracefully, though with a hint of defeat and continue on as normal. What surprises me though is after everything has been said and done and I'm waiting to settle the tab, Black leans forward with a conspirator's glint in his eyes, hands clasped in front of him, and says as innocent as possible, 'We'd actually met Lily before.'

He slumps back in his seat, acting perfectly normal, and slings his hand around Potter's shoulders. Potter, who only manages a half hearted sort of smirk in my direction, looks at the rest of his band mates nervously and hastily types out something on his phone before putting it down. Pettigrew and Lupin aren't even bothered by this revelation, instead investing themselves into seeing how many forks they can balance on Lupin's nose. (The answer is eleven in case you're interested.)

As for me? Well, those five words turned my entire world upside down.

For the longest time, everyone knew that The Marauders and Evans (accompanied by then best friend Severus Snape) met purely by chance when they stopped by that quaint little tea shop in Leeds all those years ago. The Marauders were infinitely more popular by Evans at this point, especially after having just released their second album, 'Solemnly Swear' but she wasn't any slouch either.

In fact, her album was set to be released at the end of that month, and she already had some diehard fans. The combination of both pop sensations at the same place at the same time caused a minor stir on Twitter and the entire meeting was live-tweeted by a few overly invested fans, one of which even managed to record the whole interaction. The grainy video with its scratchy audio was uploaded to YouTube and went viral, accumulating a massive 67 million views in the past five and a half years.

Most of the conversation wasn't heard, but several did see Evans embrace Black before nodding politely at the others. Snape merely stood next to her, looking impassive as ever. The six of them even ended up sharing a table- Evans next to Black, Black next to Potter, Potter next to Pettigrew, Pettigrew next to Lupin, Lupin next to Snape, and Snape next to Evans.

Commence the awkwardness.

Snape glared at everything and everyone. Potter kept on fidgeting in his seat. Pettigrew and Lupin seemed mostly fine, though the latter was fidgeting with something beneath the table. Evans and Black carried most of the conversation, hitting it off almost immediately and spawning rumours of a blossoming romance. Having met both individuals, I think it's safe to say that the combination of their charisma and overall likability got the ball in no time.

In fact, it can be seen on the video, clear as day, that it wasn't long before the others fell into conversation. And that's when things started to fall apart.

No one knows for sure exactly what Potter did/ said, but it was apparent that Evans' exasperation with the boy was growing throughout the whole encounter. Snape, who was still next to her, regarded him with a sneer as he fumbled through the conversation. Eventually, she snapped, muttering something angrily to him before shoving a coffee cup his way, the liquid sloshing out onto his shirt, and stalking out of the shop in a huff with Snape at her heels. Pettigrew is trying to mop up the spilt coffee with napkins, Black is laughing raucously, and Lupin is trying to get him to shut up while hiding a small smirk of his own. Meanwhile Potter stares at the door through which she left looking thoroughly disgruntled.

And to think there's fan art of the two in... _compromising_ positions over the internet.

Black's statement causes me to pause for a least a full minute. By now three of the boys are full on smirking at my reaction. Potter is rhythmically knocking his head against the table, cheeks red, while cursing his mates out to the high heavens. Friendship at its best.

When I do manage to pick my jaw up off of the ground, I demand them to tell me everything while Potter keeps up a steady stream of swears under his breath. He's crossed his arms over his chest now and it makes his matching sleeve of tattoos with Black all the more visible. He seems thoroughly brassed off, something which Black takes a serious (or should I say 'Sirius') amount of delight in. (No? Okay; I'll leave the puns out and focus on doing my job then.)

'I met her about a week before they did,' says Black, gesturing to his band mates, 'Sort of an accident really, neither of us recognised the other at first and we ended up stood next to each other during Pride.'

Actually makes a lot of sense for Black and Evans to meet up at something LGBT+ related, considering both of them belong to that community and happen to be very active members. Evans came out as a bisexual early on in her career while Black has said to be an aro/ace individual who prefers his motorcycles over sex.

('I prefer having sex _over_ motorcycles,' Evans says with a wicked grin that causes me to choke on my drink.)

'Sort of became friends immediately,' he says, casually sipping his drink, 'I mean, how often do you meet a girl who's funny, smart, and happens to be into the same things as you? Plus her demon cat loves me. That doesn't happen often. Although, I am more of a dog person.'

Having met Evans' so called 'demon cat' I don't dispute him on that. Perseus instils more fear into me than any animated fluff ball should. The other boys seem to agree with me and I see Potter bring a hand to touch his foreman. If one were to look closely they'd see a faint scar, no longer than three inches, etched into his skin. Marks of war.

'Sirius also loves her because she's the only one who goes riding with him on Sunday mornings,' Peter adds, 'The two of them love nothing better than getting up at some god awful time in the morning, meeting up, and then riding for no apparent reason. You would think that they would bring back coffee or something, but no.'

Though Black has been riding motorcycles since he was seventeen ('I learnt to ride a motorcycle before I learnt how to drive a car'), he and Evans only very recently began riding together; just another thing they have crossed off on their best friends list. The revelation sent fans into a frenzy, taking to Twitter and Tumblr to express their delight. Though they're not quite at the point where they get matching tattoo sleeves like he did with Potter, Black and Evans do have matching leather jackets.

'Oh no, we do have matching tattoos,' Black is quick to correct me. For the first time since we sat down he seems just a tiny bit embarrassed while his friends rib him. Potter even goes as far to tell him to show it to which Black, trademark smirk back in place, merely responds with, 'It's not exactly in a place suitable to show off in public, darling,' and casually sips his drink, once more the epitome of cool and collected.

Intrigued, I make note of it to ask Evans when I carry out my interview with her in the following days.

(When asked, she snorts in laughter almost choking on her tea. Before I can say anything else, she's turning around, shimmying her jeans down just a bit, and hoisting her shirt up so I can see. It's an intricate swirling pattern made out of lilies of all things that spans the small of her back, just above the rise of her butt. A classic 'tramp stamp.' 'We got drunk during my- we got drunk, some shit had happened earlier on in the day, and we decided to get matching tattoos,' she explains with a furtive smile and faraway look. 'Not exactly the best decision I've ever made but I don't regret it. Much.' There's a slight pause here where she looks away for a moment before gracing me with that impish grin once again. 'His is made out of petunias.')

'About a week later we ran into each other at HOGWARTS,' says Black before taking the time to let a fully grown smirk stretch across his face. After having just spent the entirety of lunch and hen some in his presence, I can see why all the girls are fawning over him. He's absolutely swoon worthy material. It makes me want to cry. 'Well, us three ran into her. James ran into a wall.'

I glance at Potter. His jaw is clenched and he's staring straight ahead with colour high on his cheekbones while his mates snigger around him. He refuses to comment.

'It's not that much of a first meeting- she was just leaving after a meeting with Slughorn and we happened to be running late for our meeting with McGonagall.- so we just said quick hellos and agreed to meet up for coffee or something eventually. Which we did later that week.'

I expect them to all send another of those infamous smirks my way, but instead there's a bout of guilty silence, nervous fidgeting, and the statement is accompanied with a wince from three of the boys while Potter stares morosely at his drink.

(His cheeks are still flaming red, almost matching the red flannel shirt he chose to wear over his t shirt. It seems that whenever the topic of Evans comes up in this conversation, he's quick to clam up, letting his friends do all the talking while he broods in the corner. Do what you will with that.)

( ...#jily?)

Attempts are made to pry answers out of them over what exactly went down at that cafe, but they all yield unfruitful. The Marauders are uncharacteristically sombre when it comes to this topic, choosing to stay mum no matter what. All Lupin was willing to say is, 'We we're twenty; twenty year olds do some dumb shit and we were no exception.'

Pettigrew made sure to add, 'We were probably outliers, in all honesty. We were never not doing some dumb shit.'

I don't argue with them there. However, this comment seems to be the starting point for a very serious discussion between all four men on what exactly is the 'dumbest shit' they've ever done. The debate takes over five minutes before they finally settle on something about a stolen pair of knickers. I'm not privy to all the details and, frankly, I'm not sure I want to be.

* * *

Surprisingly, Evans herself brings up the topic when I meet with her. We're onto our third cups of tea and a second pack of chocolate covered digestives while the 'Orange Is The New Black,' theme plays in the background of her flat. Perseus is perched on the couch next to his owner, still glaring at me. Sometimes Evans will reach out and scratch behind his ear and the cat will regard her with an irked expression. It seems as though he isn't even particularly fond of his owner. It makes me wonder who exactly he gives all of his affection too.

(Probably Black considering he admitted that the cat loves him.)

She's effortlessly sandwiching a scoop of ice cream between two cookies when she asks, 'So you want to know what happened when I first met the Marauders?' with such ease that I almost gape at her. It took a fair amount of coaxing and prying before I even got the Marauders to acknowledge that part of their relationship with Evans, and now, here she is, just willing to give it away like nothing? I should have gone to her first for these interviews.

I must have actually been gaping without realising however, as Evans looks up and shrugs before adding, 'James called me and said so.'

Ah. Right. _James_ told her. _James called her_.

She tells me what I already know- how she first met Black at Pride ('Severus isn't all that...comfortable with these things. He accepted it, but just didn't like seeing it up close and personal, so I was alone.' She says it with a perfectly straight face and pleasant smile, but there's a glint in her eyes that tells me she's more than ready to deck me if I bring up any questions on that. Fearing for my health, I wisely don't and quickly move on to another question.), and then came to run into The Marauders at HOGWARTS a few days later.

Which reminds me-

'Potter totally ran into a wall,' says Evans, confirming what The Marauders said, with a smirk scarily similar to Black's. And then if that wasn't scary enough, she _cackles_. 'I didn't see it, but when I stopped to chat with Sirius, the boys seemed to be laughing and his forehead was red. So I'm going to assume that her ran into a wall or tripped and hit his head. Whichever one is more embarrassing.'

I'm not sure how it's possible to cackle adoringly, but somehow she manages it when talking about Potter. She goes on to say that she doesn't know why or how he ended up running into a wall, but I'm fairly certain that it's got something to do with her. I'm also sure that Evans must know this too, but is probably pretending for Potter's sake. Adorable. It has me almost wanting to pull out my phone and tweet something just so I could use the 'jily' hashtag. The feels are real.

'Anyway, we couldn't stay to chat so we agreed to meet up whenever so we could hang out and get to know each other a bit more,' she shrugs, 'I figured that if Sirius was cool then his friends should have been as well. Which they are,' she's quick to assure me, 'Just in a different way.'

Her smile is soft for a moment, throwing me off guard and she fingers the sleeve of her over sized red flannel shirt that's slipped down. 'Definitely unexpected,' she whispers, and I'm not sure if it was meant for me to hear.

(I'm going to assume it was because whoops... it ended up in the publication.)

She back up the sleeve, once again exposing her tattoo, and looks back up at me. Evans is surprisingly much more forthcoming with details than the boys had been when asked about the cafe. It's not the 'be all end all,' not by a long a shot, but it's enough to give us some insight on what really went down.

'They were a couple of twenty year old boys who blew up overnight, already produced two amazing albums, and had a substantial fan base,' she scoffs, 'Of course they're going to do dumb shit, and of course they're going to have an ego.' She laughs here, but there's very little humour to it. 'Potter had the biggest fucking ego I'd ever seen. He was such an arrogant bastard.'

Again with the slight undertones of affection underneath all the bitterness. Or at least I'm assuming it's bitterness. Evans can be quite unreadable when she feels like it, and seems that now's the time to become closed off. And I'm not about to go prying in places where she clearly doesn't want me. I'm far too scared of her and that cat to do anything of the sorts.

(As though sensing a new wave of fear coming from my direction, Perseus lifts his head just barely to glance at me. It sends my heart racing, I swear to god.)

Like The Marauders, she doesn't say anything much on the cafe. She makes mention that Snape has never been a fan of them and in hindsight, having him there while she met them properly was a mistake. 'He's always agreed with what Riddle, or Voldemort, or whatever the fuck he calls himself nowadays, says, and liked to make sure that I knew it too.'

For those of you who don't know, Tom Marvolo Riddle- who loves to go by his stage name, Lord Voldemort/ the Dark Lord- is the former front man of an underground screamer/ death metal band, The Death Eaters, which managed to get a few hits on the charts but is mainly known for its initiation ritual of having its members get matching tattoos.

If you think it sounds more cult-like than band-like, you'd probably be right. The Death Eaters disbanded after being busted on charges of cocaine possession, misdemeanour, and assault. Most of its members are in prison though somehow Riddle manages to walk free and uses his time ranting on his website and Twitter page about the death of music nowadays, with one specific target in mind: The Marauders.

'Essentially what happened was that they showed up, Snape immediately disliked them and made it known while Potter had his head shoved up his arse,' she shrugged, 'I walked out when he said he couldn't believe I had friends like this.'

Ouch.

'It's nice now that we can look back on it and laugh though.' I point out that when I did the interview with The Marauders, they were all uncommonly silent when the topic was brought up and Evans cackles again.

' _I_ look back on it and have a good laugh. Their discomfort just makes it all the more better. And funnier too.' Her eyes sparkle as she giggles and the cat jumps off the couch with- well, a sneer. 'Did Potter start banging his head against something? He always does that when this topic comes up because he's so embarrassed that he acted like a git. I make sure to remind him of it at every possible opportunity.'

How sweet of her.

When I confirm that he indeed did start knocking his head against the hard oak dining table, Evans cackles once more. I am both very scared and very attracted to her at this moment.

'After that we didn't see each other for a while. I still hung out with Sirius- exchanged book recommendations, used him as a date for my sister's wedding, and made him teach me how to ride after seeing his bike- but stayed well away from the rest of The Marauders,' she explains, 'Pettigrew and Lupin were all nice fellows too, but Potter?' She rolls her eyes quite emphatically, though there is a good natured smile playing around her lips, 'God I really couldn't stand him. He seemed to perpetually have his feet in his mouth or something.'

I honestly don't doubt it.

When asked when was the next time she saw Potter in person, Evans grimaces and her porcelain cheeks flush. Embarrassment is a strange look on someone as fearless as Lily Evans and for a second I'm thrown off kilter.

She does catch herself quick enough however, and the next three words out of her mouth is what gets the 'jily ship' up and sailing.

'The _Home_ Project.'

 _-written by Marlene McKinnon of TIME magazine_

* * *

 ** _Don't forget to leave me a review lovelies! xoxo_**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Here I am one month later. Whoops. Blame the fact that school started back. Also this was probably the hardest chapter thus far for me to write because of the focus of it. Hopefully I did it justice. Thanks for all the lovely reviews so far!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

#BringUsHOME was trending on Twitter after the last issue was published, giving me flashbacks to four years ago, a veritable feat considering I tried to block out most of experiences from back then.

Even more impressive was the interaction between The Marauders and Evans that spawned on Twitter as a result of the fanfare. While they have been known to tweet each other in the past, this was perhaps the longest conversation in any sort of public forum between them. It all started when Evans merely quipped 'Wow, that #BringUsHOME hashtag is really stirring up some memories!' and then things just snowballed out of control from there when Potter replied with a cryptic, 'Oh God. No,' and about a dozen different emojis.

Yes, this included the double heart, and yes, I'm 83% sure that on certain corners of the internet, fan girls were 'unable to even' as a result of this.

 _(Screenshots of the conversation can be found on page 17.)_

But now let's get down to the real things. The real reason why #BringUsHOME is trending once more.

If one were to ask any hardcore Marauder fan (or _any_ Marauder fan, let's be honest) who Lily Evans was four years ago, they would either scream, get very angry, or a combination of them both.

Although Evans' first album had already been released for quite some time- and included some fairly well known chart climbers- she still had a relatively small following, at least when compared to The Marauders.

Considering one was a boy band comprised of four good looking boys who sung pop/ rock and the other was a lone redhead living and breathing indie, I can sort of form some conclusions as to why.

Twenty one year old Evans was perfectly fine with that, being able to do her own thing, go out whenever she wanted, talk to whomever she wanted, all with very little fanfare. She admits to liking her privacy, and while it was a common occurrence to have a few people come up to her in the street, she was never swarmed and was free to do whatever she wanted without much criticism.

And then HOGWARTS decided to take on a little collaborative album with some of its top artistes called _Home_ bringing all of that to a screeching halt.

The album sold over 215 000 copies within the first week. And it produced three top ten hits. Plus it raised more than seven million pounds for the _Potter Project_. Not to mention incited anguish and pain into the hearts of fan girls everywhere (#feels).

You may have heard of it.

 _Home_ was a joint venture between _Potter Project_ and HOGWARTS and is arguably one of HOGWARTS bestselling albums of all times, featuring almost all of their top musicians- from The Weird Sisters to Celestina Warbeck, and, of course, The Marauders and Lily Evans. Even dear old McGonagall took a break from retirement to cover Survivor's eighties hit 'Eye of the Tiger.' A few decades later and she's still got it. You go McGonagall. Show these younglings how it's really done.

In addition to seeing the famed, feminist idol coming out of retirement for the first time in over three decades, the album also saw the Rise of Lily Evans.

A week before any news of her and album was released, she was able to walk freely in and around London, buying her groceries which mainly consisted of cat food, biscuits, and juice pouches. Two days after news was released, she was swarmed on the metro by hysterical Marauders' fans.

'Before I was asked to take part in that project, I had sold about 145 000 copies of my album in the year that it had been out for,' Evans says, a tinge of colour still marring her cheeks. She pauses to tuck a vibrant red curl behind her ear. 'After the, er... duet with Potter, album sales quadrupled.'

Ah yes.

The famed duet that started it all. (And caused the anguish/ pain/ '#feels' in those fan girls.)

'Rekindle,' which was written and produced by the small song writing executives over at HOGWARTS, was perhaps the biggest hit on the entire album, managing to snag that coveted number position for not one, but two straight weeks only to be knocked off by McGonagall.

It is reported that McGonagall is the one that set the ball in motion for this. Despite having met Evans only once, the retired performer took an immediate liking to the up and coming singer. It is also reported that the two originally bonded over their love of cats and that it was McGonagall who eventually persuaded Evans to adopt Perseus. This has yet to be confirmed however, though when the question is posed to Evans, she can't help but laugh while drawing an increasingly grumpy cat onto her lap.

'I just saw him one day in the shelter while I was volunteering and knew I had to get him,' she says, nuzzling her face against her cat's. Perseus scowls at the affection and I can't hold in a giggle. This draws his attention over to me and he hisses threateningly. For the sake of my life I hurriedly get back to the interview.

(This takes a while however as Evans spends at least 3 full minutes cooing and cuddling her cat. He is not impressed the slightest.)

Later on she does confirm that McGonagall is the one who came up with the idea of the duet and Evans was all for it until she heard who she was going to partner with.

'She explained that she thought Potter would be able to harmonise with me better than most. And I guess that was sort of true.' Her cheeks glow just the slightest bit and she draws the flannel shirt a bit closer to her body.

Can you say understatement of the year?

While Potter's vibrato had become well known to the hundreds of thousands of fans of The Marauders, Evans' contralto was not. Despite the fact that the 'first' meeting between them was caught on tape and placed on YouTube, it didn't go viral until fans of The Marauders found out who Potter's leading lady in 'Rekindle' was. In fact, most of them didn't particularly care at first, but when their two voices harmonised for the first time, well, cue the madness.

[ **icequeen197** : holy shit how is this real #HOME]

[ **Oliviaing** : omfg is this what heaven sounds like they must be angles or something #HOME]

[ **2skool4cool** : OMGGGG I CA N'T BR EATHE!11!1! #HOME #WHATARETHESEFEELINGS]

And then with the release of the promotional image for the single (which is another can of worms in itself) fans got a hold on the name of the person singing along with their beloved James: Lily Evans.

'I think within 24 hours after the picture was posted, my Twitter and Instagram followers doubled and I kept getting tweets from all of Potters fans with things like 'James is mine!' and all of that nonsense,' the singer says, rolling her eyes, though the light flush on her cheekbones stubbornly persists.

Of course, with any rapid rise to fame there always come the unsavoury aspects of it as well. 'By the end of the week, I had paparazzi tailing me. I think I threw a shoe at him when he tried to follow me into a bathroom.'

She's completely unfazed as she says that, picking at her nails while Perseus rubs his head against her legs. In fact, Evans goes on to bemoan the loss of one side of her gilded heel pumps for at least a good five minutes or so. At the end of mini tirade she shrugs and says with a smirk, 'I tend to throw things when I'm angry. It's caused some problems for me.'

That may be quite an understatement.

The album art accompanying the song featured Evans and Potter sat back to back on the floor with a wall separating one from the other, both in varying stages of anger, misery, and regret. While it was originally promoted as intentional- with lyrics like _You were always first to come and last to go/ But now, darling, you don't even show/ It's so easy for me to hate you/ Though we both know that's not true_ it's not that much of a stretch to think so- it wasn't until filming began for the music video that the truth came out.

For those of you wondering, 'Huh? There was a music video?' never fear; the video was never finished and subsequently never premiered on any site. While the higher ups at HOGWARTS claim that it was because 'we couldn't seem to capture the angle we were quite looking for,' mention Evans and Potter to anyone who worked with them for that short bit of time and watch how quick they pale and start perspiring. A set director who wished to remain an anonymous says 'Those two are the fucking worst with their fucking yapping about everything while I'm over here trying to do my fucking job.'

I'll take that to mean that Potter and Evans weren't necessarily on friendly terms when producing the song and the anger that was shown in the album art was completely unwanted and simply just _there_ between the two.

'She threw her water bottle at me while we were recording. Three times,' huffs Potter, 'Said I sounded like a 12 year old boy on the verge of puberty.'

'You kinda do sometimes, mate,' Black points out before breaking into a round of sniggers with Lupin and Pettigrew. Barely a few seconds later he winces and I assume it's because Potter has kicked him underneath the table. This has been a regular occurrence from all of the boys over the course of this interview. I do not question it anymore and barely manage to repress an exasperated (yet fond) sigh in fear of seeming too mother hen-like.

Finally, after a good amount of prodding, Evans admits that she didn't want to do the song when McGonagall first approached her, with a sheepish smile and cheeks blazing. What finally made her reconsider? Severus Snape.

(I know, I was shocked too.)

Considering that Snape has never been one to shy away from talking about his dislike for The Marauders with anyone who was willing to listen, it comes as a surprise that he would be the one to inadvertently get the ball rolling on the Evans/ Potter front. How ironic.

'He got me drunk and then went on saying that this would give me the leg up the fame ladder and stupid drunken Lily thought that it was a brilliant plan and agreed,' she huffs, glaring at some wilting gardenias on her coffee table. 'Don't drink alcohol, kids, you'll end up doing dumb things when you drink alcohol,' she advises.

(A few minutes after saying this, she leaves to go get a glass of red wine. It's two in the afternoon.)

Snape's incessant prompting for the star to (unknowingly) agree to become one of the biggest names in music marks the beginning of the end of their relationship. The fight that everyone and their mother know about. The fight that caused the abrupt toppling of Lily Evans after only fifteen minutes in the limelight.

And the fight that changed her into the women she is today.

But more on that later.

No one doubted that _Home_ would be a success, but its popularity however was severely underestimated. Within less than two months from its release date, the album went platinum, becoming the quickest ever to achieve such a feat in all of HOGWARTS' history.

(Many a fan, music critic, and even the average Joe on the street, attribute this to the hype that 'Rekindle' generated as well as McGonagall's reintroduction into the world, but this has never been confirmed by any of the HOGWARTS higher ups. When McGonagall was contacted for her statement on the matter a few years ago, she simply stated, 'I've not done an interview in nearly thirty one years; this is not going to change because I've covered one song,' and then gave the reporter a coupon for 15% off kitty litter.)

Because of this accomplishment, celebrations must be had, and what better way to do it than throw a party right?

The entirety of the well established nightclub, The Leaky Cauldron, was rented out for the event which included- in addition to the free seventy calorie finger foods and fruity cocktails- the ceremonial handover of the album's profits to Fleamont and Euphemia Potter, the _Potter Project's_ founders and CEOs as well as James Potter's lovely parents. It was to be a night of joy and celebration and perhaps one of the biggest life altering experiences in young Evans' life.

Things first kick off with the arrival of Potter the Elders and the Marauders at promptly 8:30pm, the first set of guests to arrive for the night. Cameras flashed, Potter and Black dished out matching smirks, Pettigrew waved at everyone, Lupin messed around with some fans, and Potter the Elders smiled fondly at it all. They're all dressed to the nines, in sharp dark suits and hard, clean edges. Pettigrew posted a group photo of him and his band mates earlier in the evening with the caption 'Chilling with my boys #squadgoals,' which featured all four of them lounging in a hotel room and holding glasses of champagne. Whether it was staged or not, no one could deny that they were in fact 'squad goals.' I too wish to lounge around with my friends while drinking champagne that probably cost almost a month's worth of rent and looking like we just stepped out of a fashion mag.

Evans arrived nearly an hour later, just ten minutes before the handover of a very large, very fake, plastic cheque to Potter the Elders. She shows up wearing a floor length sheer, black lace gown and with Severus Snape on her arm. Snape's suit doesn't fit him as well as the no doubt custom made suits The Marauders don, but it doesn't matter; not when he has Lily Evans by his side. Her usual cascade of curls is pinned in an artfully messy up do, but it's the dress that really takes the cake. It's almost made entirely out of black lace, save for some strategically placed solid black panelling that just barely Vs down her chest before pleating together with the lace.

It's been almost four years and I'm still not over that dress. I don't think I'd ever be over that dress. (Nor would I ever be over Lily Evans wearing that dress. Once again Evans has me questioning my sexuality. To quote many of her Twitter and Instagram followers 'SLAY ME.')

Seeing as it was a private party- and for HOGWARTS no less- not just any and everyone could get in. In fact, if you didn't have a gold embellished, hand lettered invitation to present to the bouncers at the door, you would be kicked out faster than you can actually say out HOGWARTS. Despite this little speed bump in the road, a substantial amount of information was still divulged to the public.

'That night was just... crazy,' Pettigrew says, staring off into nothingness. 'There were so many things happening, and then so many things happened- it was just insane.' Pettigrew seems to be the only one off The Marauders willing to divulge information, and even then, it's all cryptic at best.

An anonymous source said that, while Evans and Potter were both there at the same time, they stayed far, far away from each other as if just being within a certain distance from the other would trigger the next world war.

(Let's be real though; with those two? Anything is possible...)

You would think okay, giant room packed to the brim with people, booze, and shitty lightning. No way they're going to run into each other.

You poor, naive soul.

Yes, usually all those things meant that having to talk to people you didn't like was highly unlikely and yes, the two of them were particularly adept of steering conversations away from themselves, but no matter what you do or how hard you try, nothing can stop you from collecting your own award, and that's exactly what happened between Evans and Potter.

And so starts to most interesting part of our story.

Neither party knew of the surprise award ceremony- for both them and McGonagall for tying for most popular song released from the album- so when it was announced, all hell broke loose. Figuratively of course. All stars go through the same type of conditioning on how to act in the public eye, and for Potter and Evans it's no different. Though, it's no secret that they tend to make the other go a bit crazy when in the same room together.

Evans and Potter made their way on stage and accepted their awards- a golden HOGWARTS crest- with fake smiles at each other and real smiles for the camera. There was a good three inches of space between the two in the released photographs but inside sources say that Potter couldn't keep his eyes off her.

With her in that dress, I don't blame him. I can barely keep my eyes off of Evans when she's dressed in slouchy, casual clothes. I can just imagine what it would be like with her in couture. I'm surprised he wasn't actively drooling.

As soon as the last camera flashed, Evans' smile dropped and Potter became flustered, causing his attempt to chat her up to fall flat. She walked away before he could finish talk about the weather, leaving him alone with their award.

Half of the golden HOGWARTS crest is perched on Evans' mantle next to one of her Teens Choice Awards. When asked where the other half disappeared off to, she blushes and mumbles something unintelligible.

'They broke it,' Lupin deadpans.

Potter's cheeks flame. 'In my defence, she's the one who did the breaking. I was just an innocent bystander.'

'You did provoke her,' says Pettigrew slowly, 'You pissed her off and she threw it at you. Missed though.'

Ah yes; the return of Evans' throwing skills.

The other Marauders explain that the award hit the wall and broke in two when Evans tried to bludgeon him. Meanwhile Potter holds his head in his hands.

'Thanks guys. Really. This entire interview is you telling her all the embarrassing things I've done,' he groans.

'If that were really the case then I would have told her about the edible-' Black starts with a smirk but is cut off by Potter who literally lunges at him and tackles him to the ground.

I'm not even joking.

The two of them are actually, honest to god, rolling around on the ground fighting right now. I wish I had a camera to record the whole thing.

(God bless Mrs Potter for still managing to stay sane while raising these hellions.)

After leaving Potter looking like a kicked puppy, Evans goes in search of Snape, who is in turn searching for Evans while snooping on the Marauders. Snape acquires his targets first, stumbling upon Black teasing Potter on his failure to woo the songstress.

Snape's dislike for The Marauders is known by all, but it's that night that the world learnt of the magnitude of Snape's dislike for Potter.

No one exactly knows how the fight started- and Potter refuses to comment on the matter- but everyone sees when Black shoves Snape away after he had gotten up in Potter's face.

'Look, Snape is...' Black starts with a dark look across his face, but after a pointed throat clearing from Potter, he pauses, sighing faintly, before continuing. 'Snape is... many things, but I was friends with Evans before she had her fall out with him so I would be lying if I said that he didn't care about her a little. Or a lot. Too much really if you ask me but-'

I think Potter steps on his foot under the table to shut him up but I can't be too sure.

Black's face is pinched and sounds as though the words are being forced from his throat, but his sentiments are just about right. While Snape and Evans' friendship was bizarre to most, they did genuinely care for each other.

After Black pushes him away, the crowd nearby turns to witness the fight and they cheer on the pair of Marauders while heckling Snape. He turns on Sirius now yelling, 'That's rich coming from you Black. The only reason Lily's your friend is because she knows it would bother _him_ ,' before jerking his head in the direction of Potter and then trying to punch Black. His sloppy, stumbling movements give away the fact that he's drunk and also give Black more than enough time to duck out of the way of his oncoming fist.

Meanwhile, Evans is still searching the club for her inebriated friend completely unawares. It isn't until she hears the brawl that it begins to dawn on her what might've been going on.

'Evans shows up out of nowhere when the bouncers were trying to escort Snape out,' says Lupin who states that he and Pettigrew were trying to find Mr and Mrs Potter while the three had it out.

Reports say that Evans begins to yell at them- all three of them- for causing a scene and acting like a bunch of tantrum throwing three year olds.

'Lils has the best angry mum face I've ever seen,' Sirius sniggers, 'It's almost like Mrs Potter has been giving her lessons on how to master it.'

When asked why he finds it so funny, Black smirks and says, 'Because it's directed at James 90% of the time, and it's fun to see him cower in fear.'

Potter looks very put out and seems to regret letting Black have full reign on the interview. It's his own fault though, considering he's taken up a temporary vow of silence during this part of the interview.

The day after the event, the fight was reported as a minor skirmish between the three, with many taking a 'boys will be boys' stance behind it, choosing to focus instead on the fallout between Snape and Evans rather than the 'bit of roughhousing between Snape, Potter and Black.'

'Snape broke my nose.'

And here we see that tabloids are big, fat, dirty, liars.

Potter's blunt statement throws me off a bit, but none of the four boys seem to notice as Lupin continues speaking right after, saying, 'He didn't see it coming because he's a blind git who was too busy making moon eyes at Evans.'

He is on the receiving end of a glare from his band mate. 'Thank you Remus,' Potter snipes.

'Anytime mate,' Lupin replies and then has to duck from the napkin Potter throws his way.

It seems like someone is picking up Evans' habit of throwing things when angry. (Yes internet, you may read this any way you wish.)

After the appearance of Evans, Snape begged her for forgiveness. The two were standing too close for onlookers to hear the brief conversation, but they did catch the end where he pushed away from her.

'And then this git comes forward trying to act like a knight in armour and gets his nose broken when he tries to get him to back off,' Peter interjects.

Black feels to cut in with a very necessary, 'He doesn't seem to quite grasp the fact that Lily doesn't need anyone to save her.' Having met Evans, I can attest to this being 100% true.

Meanwhile Potter glares sullenly at all his friends. He's run out of projectiles and seems to be contemplating whether or not throwing his cutlery will be worth it. It might be, but it also might land them in the hospital so I crossed my fingers in hopes that he wouldn't. Luck seemed to be on my side however, as Potter does not reach for desert spoon to throw at his mates.

When Evans tries to intervene between the two boys, Snape whirls on her and snaps, 'I don't need help from a _girl_!'

Cue the finger snaps and 'oh no he didn't's.

It's no secret that Lily Evans is a hardcore feminist, so at that allegation she stepped forward and goads Snape into telling her what he really means. And it's not pretty the slightest.

He accuses her of not seeing everything he's done for her, how he was the one who's been there from the beginning, when she was nothing more than someone trying to make it on Youtube. Before Evans can even get a word in, Snape yells out, 'I got you here! I made you who you are today! If it wasn't for me, you would have never agreed to do that song and blow up. And what do I get for it? Lumped in the fucking friendzone.'

Ouch. This boy is just the king of putting his foot in his mouth.

The entire crowd was silent for nearly a full minute as they all gaped at him, until Evans broke it, the crack of her palm hitting his cheek sending a jolt through everyone.

And then she just turned on her heel and walked away without saying a single word.

The crowd buzzed back to life, no doubt already gossiping about the incident, and Potter scrambled after her, award in hand. What a beautiful, naive little idiot that boy is at times. (That line is courtesy Sirius Black.)

The shouting match that ensues between Potter and Evans is not quite as loud or dramatic as the previous one, starting with Potter apologizing before culminating into Evans throwing the award at him and leaving through the back.

'I mailed her back her half,' Potter says, the tips of his ears turning red. 'And an apology note. But she texted me a video of her burning the note in the sink so I don't think she was ready to forgive me just yet.'

Later on I take to Evans to see if I could get her side of story, but all I get is a few words.

'I don't like talking about that night much,' she divulges, 'It's just- I don't, okay. Things happened and while they made me into who I am today, if I could go back and have that stupid fight never take place, I probably would.'

She fidgets in her seat and I let the topic drop, though not without asking one more question.

What happened after it all?

'After, I needed to take a break from everything. I got in to everything too hot and it burned me in the end,' she says. 'I needed to take some time for myself. So I left.'

When asked if it was really all that easy, Evans throws her head back and snorts. 'God no. I wish it was. I mean, I did just pick up and leave that same night, but the following week or so was a nightmare. I maybe spent six or seven hours on the phone a day with Slughorn and HOGWARTS. In the end it was McGonagall who got the okay for me. I won't go in to all the details, but it was a pretty good deal she managed to spin.'

And so, after skyrocketing in to the spotlight, earning rave reviews for her performance on Home, breaking up with her best friend, and fighting with one of the most prominent boy bands in this day and age all within two months, Lily Evans disappeared.

 _-written by Marlene McKinnon of TIME magazine_

* * *

 _ **There was a bit of an easter egg in this chapter (where I hope I was more subtle than the last) so cookies if you find it and understand what it means. Hint: it's something in a Lily scene.**_

 _ **Much love,**_  
 _ **Nai xoxo**_


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